Ridings

169 Ottawa Centre

Riding Profile

This urban Ottawa riding contains the city's downtown core, many government offices and Parliament Hill.

It stretches from the Ottawa River in the north to the Rideau River in the south between Shelbourne Road, Maitland Avenue, Merivale Road and Fisher Avenue in west and Nicholas Street in east. It includes the residential areas of Westboro, Highland Park, McKellar Park and Westboro Beach as well as Carleton University.

Renters outnumber homeowners 62 per cent to 38 per cent. More than 34 per cent of the population have university degrees. The public service is the main employer. Average family income is $84,956 and the unemployment rate is 6.8 per cent.

There are significant Italian, Chinese and Vietnamese communities. According to 2001 census, 9.7 per cent of the population lists French as their mother tongue and 24 per cent are immigrants.

There was no change in the riding in 2004. Ottawa Centre was created in 1966. In 1996, portions of Ottawa West and Ottawa-Vanier were absorbed by Ottawa Centre.

Population: 113,662

Political History

1968, 1972, 1974 - LIB
1978 BY-EL - PC
1979, 1980 - LIB
1984 - NDP
1988, 1993, 1997, 2000 - LIB

In 2000, Liberal Mac Harb defeated New Democrat Heather-Jane Robertson to win a fourth term as MP. Harb was appointed to the Senate in September 2003 and the seat was vacant when Parliament was dissolved. In 1993, Harb defeated New Democrat Marion Dewar, a former Ottawa mayor, to win the seat.

Liberal George McIlraith, who was MP for Ottawa West from 1940-1965, ran and won in Ottawa Centre in 1968. Liberal Hugh Poulin defeated Conservative Hugh Segal in 1972 and 1974. In a 1978 byelection, PC Robert de Cotret won, but was defeated by Liberal John Evans in 1979 and 1980. In 1984, New Democrat Mike Cassidy defeated Tory Dan Chilcott in a close race. The New Democrats ran a close race with the Liberals in two of the last four elections.

Richard Mahoney

Party: Liberal Party of Canada

University Degree: Yes
Education: LL.B.
Community Involvement:
Former director of Royal Ottawa Health Care Foundation. Appointed capital ward for Ottawa City steering committee on Traffic Calming (2001). Involved with Glebe Community Association Traffic committee. Former member of the board of directors of CARE Canada. Member of the board of directors for the Canadian Advanced Technology Association and the Canadian-American Business Council. Current counsel to the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, where he has practiced public and regulatory law advocacy.
Marital Status: Married
Name of Spouse: Kathy
Children: Tara, Kieran and Aidan

Political History
Party: Worked as a special assistant to former Prime Minister John Turner and several senior cabinet ministers. Executive assistant to Paul Martin (1988-1990). President of Liberal party (1992-1995). Former president of young Liberals of Canada.

Mike Murphy

Party: Conservative Party of Canada

University Degree: Yes
Education: LL.B in French, University of Moncton.
Career Background: Former clerk at the Federal Court of Appeal and lawyer with the Department of Justice in Ottawa. A member of the law societies of Ontario and New Brunswick.
Community: Active volunteer in Ottawa Centre with the mission and the Salvation Army. Member of the advisory board on recreation for Algonquin College and a past president of the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club.

Ed Broadbent

Party: The New Democratic Party of Canada
Birth Date: Mar. 21, 1936
Age: 68
Birthplace: Oshawa, Ont.

University Degree: Yes
Education: BA and MA in philosophy, University of Toronto. PhD in political science, University of Toronto.
Career Background: Served as a member of Parliament for 21 years. Appointed president of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development by former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Served as co-chair of the Canadian Democracy and Corporate Accountability commission. International judge on Tribunal on Violations of Women's Human Rights at UN Conference on Human Rights, Vienna (1993). Vice-president of Socialist International. Chair of national inquiry on governance and accountability in Canada's voluntary sector. Member, experts panel on International Tribunal on Rights in Haiti. Has been a guest lecturer at universities ranging from Edinburgh to Harvard to New Delhi and is currently a visiting professor in political science department at McGill Univ.
Marital Status: Married
Name of Spouse: Lucille
Children: Paul and Christine

David Chernushenko

Party: The Green Party of Canada
Age: 40

University Degree: Yes
Education: BA in political studies, Queen's University. MA in international relations, Cambridge University.
Profession: Businessman
Career Background: Consultant to several corporations, manufacturers and governments on how to use sustainable management practices, including energy efficiency and cleaner production to save money and create new business opportunities. Founder and volunteer president of Clean Air Champions, a national clean air and fitness advocacy group. Appointed to the International Olympic Committee's advisory Commission on Sport and the Environment in 1998 and remains an active member. Frequent speaker locally, nationally and internationally on how to promote healthier and more vibrant economies and communities. Currently, owner and president of Green and Gold Inc., an Ottawa-based business that provides strategic advice to private, public and non-profit organizations.

Marital Status: Married
Children: Two

Political History
Provincial: Defeated in Ottawa South (2003).

Political History (Federal/Provincial)
Office Address: 613-730-0870

Carla Marie Dancey

Party: The Canadian Action Party

University Degree: Yes
Education: BA in political science,University of Ottawa.
Career Background: Former worker with the Children's Aid Society as an emergency foster care worker and specialized foster parent.

Political History
Party: Third federal election to run as a candidate.
Federal: Defeated as Reform party candidate in Ottawa South (1997). Defeated as CAP in 2000.

Robert G. Gauthier

Party: Independent

Political History
Provincial: Defeated in Ottawa West-Nepean in 2003.

Louis Lang

Party: Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

Political History
Provincial: Defeated in Pontiac in 2003
Federal: Defeated in Ottawa-Vanier in 1988; Def in Ottawa-Orl�ans in 2000

Stuart Ryan

Party: The Communist Party of Canada

Career Background: Is local union representative for CUPE at Carleton University. Is a delegate to the Ottawa Labour Council and president of local CAW.
Children: Two

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